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British experts said the exercise could help a lot of people – as long as they don’t bear grudges and are able to distance themselves from the situation.

Professor Finkel, of Northwestern University, Illinois, tracked the marriages of 120 couples for two years.

Some had been married for just a few weeks when the study began, others for more than 50 years.

Professor Finkel tracked the marriages of 120 couples for two years, some of whom had been married for just a few weeks when the study began, others for more than 50 years

In the second year of the study, half
were asked to think about a recent row and write about it from the
perspective of a neutral party.

They were encouraged to write about how
they could distance themselves in future.

Professor Finkel estimated each essay took seven minutes – adding up to 21 minutes over the year.

As previous studies have shown, marital satisfaction fell over the course of the first year.

In those who didn’t do the writing task, it continued to drop during the second year.

But in those who did their homework, satisfaction stabilised. While they didn’t argue any less, their rows caused them less upset.

And there were other benefits. The professor said: ‘Not only did the effect emerge for marital satisfaction, it also emerged for other relationship processes – like passion and sexual desire.

‘These effects emerged whether people were married for one month, 50 years, or anywhere in between.’

He added: ‘A high-quality marriage is one of the strongest predictors of happiness and health.

‘From that perspective, participating in a seven-minute writing exercise three times a year has to be one of the best investments married people can make.’

Relate counsellor Paula Hall said: ‘If you can step away from the emotion of an argument after some time has elapsed and maintain a sense of perspective, hopefully you can move on to see what you can do differently. Effectively, that’s what counselling does.’

A third of us have fallen in love at first sight, according to a study which suggests we’re still a nation of romantics.

Not only do 31 per cent say they’ve been struck by Cupid’s arrow, but this rises to 37 per cent among those aged over 55.

More than a third of us – 38 per cent – have fallen in love at work, but 16 per cent felt unable to tell the object of their affection.

And the best way to share how you feel? According to the research by florist Interflora, 41 per cent of women say a handwritten card or letter is the way to their heart.